Sitting vacant for decades, the Endicott Johnson Victory Shoe Factory had deteriorated into an eyesore before the team returned it to a symbol of local pride and prosperity. Restoring the 275,000-sq-ft building involved recasting or reinforcing dozens of dilapidated support columns with rebar while the building’s iconic stone-inlay V, distinctive sawtooth roof, large factory doors and handcrafted pillars underwent full restoration. Now, the building houses 150 market-rate apartments, each with distinctive 10-ft x 50-ft windows that required a “huge but worthwhile effort,” to restore, says Adam Green, vice president at LeChase Construction Services. “From a historical standpoint, the windows are probably the most important part of the building,” Green adds, noting: “They definitely serve as a focal point in each apartment and also as a huge part of the finished building’s overall appearance.”

Photo by Gene Avallone

LeChase Senior Project Manager Don Beckley says the original windows and openings included a brick ledge system.

“Unfortunately, with the building sitting vacant and unheated for 60 years, the ledges had degraded to the point where we could no longer anchor new windows to them,” says Beckley, noting that a local union helped the project’s superintendent find a mason experienced in building and restoring these types of systems. “We were also fortunate to locate, and get permission to use, a stockpile of vintage brick that greatly contributed to the authenticity of the project. For over a year, the mason did nothing but windowsill restorations, and the resulting transformation was amazing.”

Photo by Gene Avallone

The team also sorted and recycled leftover factory equipment, construction scraps, vehicles and other refuse—ultimately diverting more than 500 tons of metal from landfills.

Photo by Gene Avallone